Therapeutic Recommendations: Physical

Exercise- Yes, I know that a lot of you are going to be distraught when we suggest that you begin an exercise program. The mere idea of exercise can seem overwhelming when your joints are painful, but the LACK of exercise can cause the muscles around a joint to atrophy and deteriorate, thus causing more pain and decreased mobility in the long haul. Please….any exercise that you feel comfortable doing is fine. Some people find that swimming or pool exercises are the least traumatic and best tolerated by those with OA or RA. Others find that yoga is both soothing and energizing. Almost all community centers in towns and cities offer exercise programs or yoga that cost next to nothing.

Infrared Sauna- One of the most powerful detoxifiers is an infrared thermal sauna. It sweats toxins out through the skin. Studies have shown that most of us have between 400 and 800 chemical residues stored in the fat cells of our bodies; not to mention heavy metals. Most of these potentially harmful toxins become stored within our fat cells and cannot be metabolized (excreted). This is especially so for those with slow metabolism. The skin is a major eliminative organ, but most people’s skin is very inactive. If you smoke, you can actually touch your arm with your tongue and taste the bitter nicotine leaving your body in a sauna or steam room. Sedentary living and sun damage also inactivates the skin. As the toxins build up, they alter our metabolism, cause enzyme dysfunction and nutritional deficiencies, create hormonal imbalances, damage brain chemistry, and even cause cancer. As the toxins accumulate in different parts of the body and at different rates and in different combinations, there is a disturbingly large variety of different chronic illnesses which can result. Stored up toxins in the body can mimic any disease, and chronic diseases that were thought to have no known cause often disappear once toxic chemicals are gone.

Honeybee Venom- Bee stings have long been known to relieve some of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, but only now has the reason for this been explained. According to a report in the journal, Arthritis and Rheumatism, Bee Venom contains a number of protein-like compounds, among them a substance called melittin. This substance appears to activate a key regulator of several inflammatory genes. The venom contains a powerful anti-inflammatory substance and also acts as an immune system stimulant. It is administered by injection, either with a hypodermic needle or by the bees themselves. It is believed to be effective for both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, although the latter generally takes longer to respond. For more information, please go to the American Apitherapy Society at: www.apitherapy.org

If a joint is at risk of deteriorating completely, there are two choices open to orthopedic surgeons—repair or replace it. The problem, down the road, is that parts eventually wear away or even loosen over time and you would need additional invasive surgery (or sometimes more).

An innovative option that might be of interest to those of you facing possible joint replacement is a ground-breaking procedure that was developed and patented by Doctor Allan Dunn. It entails injecting human growth hormone directly into the affected joint spaces of the arthritic patient, which stimulates the growth of cartilage. This cartilage re-growth brings about increased space between the ends of the bones—in some cases up to 4 ml in volume. This is enough to alleviate the pain and stiffness in the affected joint. In addition, growth hormone also encourages production of collagen, the strong fibrous connective tissue that holds cartilage to bone, and supplies the structure for the gelatinous matrix, the flexible part of cartilage. When the growth hormone gives the cartilage the incentive it needs to regenerate, it replicates the same environment in which joint tissues grow during childhood. This procedure (IntraArticular Growth Hormone) has been used successfully on hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, and elbows. You may contact Doctor Allan Dunn at: 888-848-6534

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